County updates roadside spray policy

June 7 , 200

Wahkiakum County commissioners approved an updated policy for roadside herbicide application on Tuesday.

Public Works Director Pete Ringen said revisions to the policy, which was written in the 1980s, had been in the works for several years, with members of a county Grange committee meeting with him on the policy.

The policy tries to limit the amount of herbicide that goes into the environment, and it sets forth workable parameters for herbicide use, he said.

Grange committee member Bob Pyle thanked Ringen for his work on the policy and suggested one last minute change: He suggested adding the words “according to this policy” to the end of a policy sentence, “As a general policy, herbicides will not be applied unless they are needed.”

That would ensure that someone in the future wouldn’t give a too-liberal meaning to “needed.”

Pyle apologized for the last-minute suggestion, saying committee members had developed it after reading the final draft.

Ringen said he felt the language was unnecessary, and he didn’t want to have language that would hinder or limit the county from doing the “right thing.”

After more discussion, Commissioner Tom Doumit moved to adopt the policy; Dan Cothren seconded the motion, and it passed.